“But you know how I feel about you. You’ve always known. I can’t believe that you’re such an animal, Jacob.” She screamed and then fell into tears, covering her face with her hands and sobbing over him. He was looking at her harshly, but Lauret could see his expression soften. She could feel the pangs of jealousy, because he was looking at Esmerelda with compassion, because he still had a certain softness in his heart for his best friend’s little sister. That he could never truly be unkind to her.
“Ezzy please stop this.” He said and his tone had changed. “You need to leave now.”
“So you’re just going to keep pushing me away. And have sex with every new girl who you see? Is that why you hired her?” Esmerelda asked through her tears. Lauret was grateful that he hadn’t touched her yet, but she wondered how long it would be before Jacob would take her in his arms, just to console her.
“Martin hired her. And I haven’t had sex with every new girl I’ve met. I don’t appreciate you slandering my name like that.” He said and stood up. Esmerelda cried even louder and he finally touched her arm and patted it. Lauret looked away, angry and shy at the same time. Just a few minutes ago, they were kissing and now he was stroking another woman’s arm.
“Let’s talk later Ezzy. Please leave now.” He said calmly, trying to talk sense into her. Esmerelda looked up sharply at him.
“How dare you ask me to leave. We’ve known each other for years. Are you going to give that bitch more importance than me? I know you love me. I know you care about me.” She sobbed again and fell forward onto his chest. Her voice was muffled by his clothes now but Lauret could sense that she was still saying something, complaining about Lauret’s presence in the room.
Jacob was looking at Lauret now, and through his eyes he seemed to be apologizing. Lauret straightened her back, breathed in deeply and turned on her heels. She didn’t want to witness this anymore, she didn’t want to wait for Esmerelda to leave so that she could get a chance to talk it out with Jacob.
She walked to the door in silence, as the sound of Esmerelda’s loud crying filled the room. Jacob didn’t say anything, nothing to make her stop or to push Esmerelda away. To Lauret, it seemed like he had already made his choice. He could not get away from his past, he couldn’t run away from the feelings of affection and care that he already had for Esmerelda. Lauret, whom he had met only a few days ago, no matter how attracted he was to her, only came as a second priority, as a mere sexual desire. She had no place in his heart.
Lauret opened the door of the office and stepped out. She knew what she had to do now; pack her bags.
*****
It hadn’t taken Lauret too long to pack. Within an hour, she was packed and ready to leave. She had spoken to Martin, whom she found out by the pool and informed him that she’d failed Jacob’s quiz and was therefore resigning from the position. Martin had given her a hug, wished her well and the best of luck in life. She was on her phone in the kitchen, calling for a cab when she sensed someone else had entered the room. She turned around to find Jacob at the door. His hair was still tousled from when she had run her fingers through it and his tie had been loosened at the neck. He looked tired and agitated.
“What is all this?” He asked, eyeing her packed bags at her feet. She held the phone away from her ear and breathed in deeply.
“I’ve told Martin about how I’m resigning from the position. I’m sorry for putting you through all this trouble.” She said, trying to sound confident and strong again. She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her. Jacob took a few steps into the room, but kept his distance from her.
“So you planned on leaving without a word?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood with his legs apart. She felt slightly intimidated by him, but tried to remain calm and composed.
“I didn’t want to wait around till you finished talking to Esmerelda. I would have preferred to leave sooner. I’m calling a cab now.” She said and placed her phone to her ear again. Jacob lunged towards her and pried the phone away from her forcefully and kept it clutched in his hand. Lauret was breathing heavily now. He was stronger than her, but she didn’t want to appear to be weaker.
“Please give it back to me. This is not professional conduct.” She said and Jacob smiled.
“Nothing about us has been professional conduct from the first moment we met.” He said.
“Not on your part maybe. But I’ve tried to be.” Lauret said and looked away from him. For some reason she could feel tears pricking the back of her eyelids and she was trying hard to control her emotions. It was too much for her. Once again, as hard as she tried to avoid it, another man was making her feel this miserable.
“I know you have. I commend you for it. But you can’t deny that there’s a chemistry between us that cannot just be ignored. We can’t maintain a professional relationship. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my work because of it.” He said and moved closer to her. This time, Lauret inched away from him, till her hip touched the cold marble of the kitchen island.
“Exactly why I’m resigning. I don’t want to be involved in this, or the drama that you have going on with Esmerelda. I want to stay away from all this.” She said and looked away from him sharply. He had come even forward and she was afraid that he would touch her and she would melt into his arms again. That he would kiss her and she wouldn’t want him to stop.
“I agree. That you should resign. I’m not going to stop you from doing that.” He said quietly and she looked back at him, a little wounded by his words.
“But that doesn’t mean that we still can’t see each other.” He continued and Lauret laughed sarcastically.
“You think I want to still see you after what just happened? After all the things that Esmerelda just said in front of me, to me?” She threw the words at him, but he seemed to remain calm.
“You’re going to be foolish enough to believe the words of a jealous girl? I do care for her, like a sister and she knows it and likes to take advantage of it. She’s a married woman and should stay away from me. She’ll say anything to jeopardize my relationships.” He was speaking calmly but Lauret could sense the deep-seated anger in him as he spoke about her. He seemed to be internally struggling with the situation with Esmerelda. Lauret didn’t know how to respond, whether to comfort him or remain angry with him.
“I thought you were a strong independent woman who would not fall for Ezzy’s tricks. That you had too much self respect to be wounded by her accusations. We both know that you didn’t throw yourself at me. It was the other way around.” He continued and now he slowly reached for her and grazed her cheek with his thumb. Lauret could feel goosebumps form on her flesh, he had that immediate effect on her that she couldn’t describe.
“I don’t trust you. I feel like you’ll end up hurting me.” She said softly, while his eyes remained fixed on her. She could see the curve of his lips in great detail now, the way his eyes shone as he looked at her.
“I don’t blame you. All I’m asking for is to give me a chance. Not as a Boss but as a lover. Are you prepared to do that?” He asked and this time, gently ran his fingers over her lips. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, she wanted him to kiss her, the same way he had done before. There was no denying it, that she was attracted to him and slowly falling in love with Jacob Goodwin, stronger and harder than she had ever done before.
“Are you willing to give me a chance?” He asked again and now tilted his head towards her. She knew he was going to kiss her, in fact she was sure she would kiss him if he didn’t. His breath was on her face, his hands were on her neck and her body was urging her on.
“Yes” She said softly and pulled him to herself.
The End
A Taboo Vengeance
Katy pressed her sides with her hands, fought back the vomit, blinked over and over to try and clear her blurry vision. It was crazy what a few shots of vodka could do to a straight-A acrobatics star, wasn’t it? She sat on the stairs and looked down at her hands. She h
ated being drunk, but she hated knowing she was drunk and not being able to do anything about it even more. It wasn’t like she could just click her fingers and . . . hey presto! Sober!
That seemed hilarious right then, sitting on that step, other college men and women partying around her, nudging her as they walked up and down the stairs. She giggled and the giggle turned into a full-fledged cackle. People tilted their heads at her. One woman sneered: “She’s completely wasted.” Everyone laughed. Were they laughing at her? She hardly knew.
She had to find Freddy. That was the only option that made sense. Find Freddy, and get him to take her home. Failing that, she could find Stacey. Stacey Hinter and Freddy Rover were her allies in this War of Drunkenness. With a sigh she lurched to her feet, almost stumbled, and then steadied herself by placing her hand on who-knew-who’s shoulder. She made her way up the stairs, one laborious step at a time.
She walked, tilting side to side, feeling like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, always at a tilt. But she kept moving, and that was all that mattered right now. She walked, and walked, and took another step and another. She found her way into the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, she turned on the cold tap and sprayed her face with water, sprayed the inside of her mouth. The water was like manna from heaven. She splashed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She had never looked drunker. She smiled stupidly at herself and then turned from the bathroom.
She bumped into a man she didn’t know. “Seen Freddy?” she grunted.
“Uh, he’s in there, I think.” The man pointed toward the bedroom.
“Kay, thanks.”
She stumbled past him and pushed the door open. The rest of the night opened up in her mind. Freddy would take her home, she would lie in his arms, close her eyes, and sleep. When they awoke she would have an ice-cold shower to wash away the effects of the alcohol, and then she and Freddy would go and get a late breakfast. Maybe they’d watch a movie afterward. Maybe they’d fall into each other’s arms. Who knew? The world was open for Katy Sykes and Freddy Rover . . .
She saw Freddy, saw his muscular body, saw his handsome features, and she saw Stacey, too, throw herself at him, clamp her lips down on him. She gasped as Freddy kissed her back.
“What the fuck?” she roared, charging into the room.
They jumped apart, Freddy spinning, Stacey smiling lazily. Stacey, her friend, sneered at her. Freddy’s eyes went wide and he began to mumble something that Katy could not care less about. Sorry or I didn’t mean it or please, listen. But Katy wasn’t in the mood for listening, not after what she’d just seen. She took a step back, and regarded them both. A hundred memories of each of them thrust into her mind. She saw Freddy’s forefinger wrap a lock of her hair and smile down at her in sunlight, saw him dance through the bedroom door with a bowl of popcorn, saw him in the stands at her last tournament of the semester, clapping as she danced over the acrobatic equipment. And she saw Stacey, smiling and giggling as they got ready for a night out. She saw Stacey turn and ask if Katy could zip her dress up.
What did the memories mean now?
Both of them were talking fast, pleading, begging.
She turned from them and stumbled from the house. Stacey didn’t follow, but Freddy did. Freddy followed her into the street and to the road. Katy spun and meant to slap him, but she was tired and just wanted sleep. And what would hitting him achieve now? He had broken everything; he had crushed it all in that one moment.
“Please, Katy, listen to me—”
“No,” she said. “I don’t think I will.”
She pulled out her cellphone and focused on the screen. Suddenly, she felt less drunk, more sober, more awake. It was amazing what seeing your boyfriend with another woman could do. She dialed the number for a cab and held the phone to her ear. Freddy moved forward, perhaps meaning to take the phone from her. Katy took a step back. Her voice was ice-cold. “If you have any respect for me, you won’t touch this phone,” she said.
Guilt flittered across Freddy’s face. Good, she thought. His forehead creased. Only ten minutes ago she would have wanted to reach out and smooth that crease with her thumb. Now she didn’t care if he looked stressed.
“Hello, this is . . .”
“I need a cab,” Katy barked. She gave the address and hung up the phone.
She slumped down on the sidewalk, knowing how she looked and not caring. How many women had she seen slumped in the exact same way, their men kneeling beside them, arms waving, pleading, begging to be forgiven? She had always pitied women like that. She turned to him, bared her teeth like something feral.
“You’ve ruined it,” she said plainly. “It’s as simple as that, Freddy. You’ve ruined it all.”
“But—”
“But what?” she screeched. “But what, exactly?”
Freddy stood up and brought his hands to his face. He sobbed. She had never seen him cry.
“What difference do you think that will make?” She sounded vindictive, but that was fine. She felt vindictive.
“I’m . . . sorry.” His voice was muffled through his tears and his hands.
“Sometimes sorry just doesn’t cut it. Go away, now. Leave me alone. We’ve said all we need to say to each other.”
Perhaps if he stayed he could have won her over, but he didn’t. He sobbed once more and then walked back toward the house.
Fine, Katy thought, watching his go. But I won’t cry.
But tears are not easily controlled. As soon as he was in the house, her tears started.
*****
She woke with a dry tongue and a pounding head. She leaned up, her belly aching, vomit climbing up her throat. Thank God for en suite bathrooms, some distant part of her mind thought as she clambered from the bed and stumbled across the room. The vomit came violently, lurching from her body, squeezing her belly. She sat next to the toilet, breathing heavily. For a moment she forgot about last night, forgot about the betrayal, but then it hit her like a gunshot. She keeled over, vomited again, and rose to her feet and gulped water from the sink.
There was an acidic taste in her belly, but it wasn’t just from the sickness.
Katy had never been a malicious person. She had never condoned malice of any kind. She had been good all her life. But an idea came to her then, leaning over the sink, water spraying her face. She and Stacey had been friends for three years, since they started college. But that didn’t stop her betraying me, did it? That didn’t stop her kissing my boyfriend. She knew how well thing were going between us, too, and she ruined it.
This idea was malicious, was mean, but she didn’t care. Vengeance was on her mind. She walked back into the bedroom, found her laptop, brought it to the bed. The summer sun shone through her curtains, yellow and painful. She turned away from it as the laptop came alive. She knew his email because she’d once had to message him on Stacey’s behalf, back when they were friends, back when they were almost sisters. She knew his email, and she would make use of it.
She composed the email quickly, not giving herself time to think:
This is Katy Sykes. You may find this strange, but I have been thinking of you lately. Do you want to meet for coffee? Don’t tell Stacey.
Pressing send would be wrong on a number of levels. Pressing send would be taboo in extreme. Pressing send you start her down a road she never would have thought about before.
She pressed send.
*****
She showered, brushed her teeth, grabbed a quick breakfast, and then checked her email.
He was keener than she would have guessed. He had responded almost as soon as she had sent the email: Sure, when, where? She fired a quick email back with the name of a café close to her apartment. Would he meet her then in an hour’s time? The laptop beeped. He would.
She was not usually a dangerous dresser. She wore plain, simple clothes because in her day-to-day life. She would dress up for nights out, sure, but this wasn’t a night out. Even so, she put on a summer dress that showed her hours-h
oned legs and the tops of her small, pert breasts. She ringed her eyes with eye-liner and applied foundation to her pale skin. She wasn’t vain, but even she thought she looked pretty sexy.
She left her apartment and walked down the street a few blocks to the café. When she entered, she saw him. She didn’t expect to feel anything upon seeing him. This was, after all, a quest for vengeance, and nothing more. She didn’t know how true that was, didn’t know if she could believe it, when she saw him. Adam Hunter, Katy’s dad, was around forty-five years old, more than twice Katy’s age. He was tall, and muscular, with a big, bushy beard that reached down to his chest. His hair was black-gray and cropped close to his head. His eyes were forest-green and he wore a suit, despite the heat. She had never seen a more manly man, as far as she could remember. He wouldn’t have looked out of place with an ax in his hand.
Her cheeks flushed as she walked across the café. He stood up as she approached, like a gentleman, and then sat down as she sat down. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Her mouth tasted like toothpaste and sick. She swallowed, and the heat compressed her head. She wondered if she should have waited until she was no hung over to meet with him, but it was too late now.
“I was surprised,” he said, in a deep voice, “that you wanted to meet with me.”
“I am sure you have women asking to meet you all the time,” she said. She didn’t know where the quick, playful reply came from. It certainly wasn’t like her to give such a reply. She was a quiet girl, a timid girl, not an in-your-face kind of girl at all. And yet here she was.
Adam laughed and tilted his head. “None are as beautiful as you.”
It would have sounded cheesy coming from any other man, but from him it sounded sophisticated and appropriate. She smiled, flashing perfect white teeth through his black beard, and then rose to his feet. “Coffee?” he said.
“Water, please.” Had her mouth ever been so dry?
He moved to the counter, ordered the drinks, and brought them back to the table. “So,” he said, “you don’t want me to tell Stacey that we’re meeting. Is there any reason for that?”
Sucker for the Boss Page 3